Wrath of a Commissioner
by Bree In Diamonds
Summary: Berkeley Rose's jealousy goes a little out of hand and his actions cause Dee to become unemployed and Ryo to be stuck in between a rock and a hard place
1. Going A Little Too Far

"Come on, hustle hustle, move already!" commissioner Rose bellowed as things weren't going exactly his speed that morning. Things couldn't be worse. Paperwork was flying at him left and right, and he had spilt coffee all over his new suit. Good fortune wasn't on his side today. Unluckily for everyone else, if he was in a mood, everyone was.

"Dammit I need a friggin secretary. Someone get me Laytner, I don't care who, just bring his ass in here!" he demanded. Running a building full of morons wasn't exactly his ideal pleasure in life.

Muttering incoherently, he struggled to arrange the papers on his desk. He was so lost in his grumbling that he didn't even notice Dee standing in front of him.

"You rang?"

Rose removed his glasses. He could plainly see that Dee was not at all happy to see him. Safe to say, he felt the same way.

"Don't get snippy with me, you little sorry excuse for a detective!"

Dee rolled his eyes. "Whatever. What do you want?"

Berkeley just growled, not responding back to Dee's attitude. He was always finding ways to get even with him. He's tried them all: breaking him and Ryo apart, kissing Ryo, pairing himself up with Ryo, just about anything that had to do with Ryo to piss him off. He smirked mentally. He'd have his way with Dee yet. As much as Berkeley was doing his best to separate them, he started actually falling in love with Ryo. Still though, there was one thing he hadn't done, and he was sure to score big with this one.

"I have a mission for you, smart ass," he began with a smirk, "and you are to be completing it with JJ."

Dee's mouth fell open at his superior. "Commish, Ryo and I are already working on a case!"

Rose proudly shook his head. Score! "No need, he's being paired up with me. I figure the rookie needs a little more teaching. He's still making wrong moves."

Luckily there was a desk in front of him, otherwise Dee would have made a leap at the superior, pounding him into the floor. He growled and clenched a single fist.

"He's been here longer than you have, Rosie, so watch it! There's nothing wrong with Ryo! He's a perfect shooter and just about perfect with everything else! You're just jealous that he doesn't give you the benefit of even a straight look in the eyes!"

Rose slammed both hands down on the desk. "You're really asking for it, Laytner! ADAMS! GET YOUR

ASS IN HERE!"

On immediate cue, JJ dashed into the room, huffing and puffing, but the second he saw Dee, he wasted no time in trying to throw his arms around the officer.

"Dee! Oh joyous times! This must be my lucky day!"

"JJ!" Dee squealed, pushing the pest out of his personal space. He turned to Rose. "Rosie, I won't allow this.

Ryo is my partner, whether you like it or not. The previous—"

"Yes I know, he set you two up as partners, but remember, I'm in charge now and what I say goes. Your new partner is JJ and Ryo will be with me."

Dee balled his fist and delivered it straight onto the surface of Rose's desktop. They met face to face.

"You won't get away with this! You're so lucky I can't threaten your ass!"

Rose ran his fingers through his hair with deep satisfaction. Somehow, this had turned into a rather enjoying day. He was rather pleased with JJ literally dragged him out of his office. He then made a call in for Ryo to come see him.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Ryo asked in his generally good-natured tone, looking down at the desk in front of him.

"Sit down, Maclean," Rose said, motioning towards the chair to the right of Ryo, the sat down in his own chair.

Ryo did as he was told. This brought a smile onto Rose's face.

"You're so obedient, Randy. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Ryo shook his head, but still refused to keep eye contact. "No sir."

Rose stared for a few seconds; sweet images plastered his mind on how…intensely Ryo would look in the sack, covered in sweat, hair messy, panting heavily, tickling his nose with Ryo's delicious body scents, it would all be in a days work when he got done with him. Rose wouldn't be a jerk to Ryo, he could never.

"Why don't you ever look at my face, Randy? Does it shame you?"

Ryo's eyes widened, but then retracted. "Um…I don't know sir. I don't generally keep good eye contact with anyone, sir. I'm shy."

Rose smiled. A shy guy really wasn't his type but Ryo was just too cute to let go, but more importantly, too cute to be let loose in the hands of that jerk-off Dee.

Ryo was a very special person. He generally didn't speak unless he was spoken to, and was very gentleman-like. No wonder he captured the many hearts of the police force. Ryo was anything but weak though however. He was very strong when needed to be. On the other hand, he wouldn't think twice in sacrificing himself for his loved ones either.

"I'm sure you're not shy, Randy, it's probably just a little phase. After all, you did just join the police force here not too long ago if I remember correctly."

Ryo's eyes never moved from their position.

"I've been here a half a year, sir."

Rose stood. "Please, Ryo, no need to get all formal now. Just call me Berkeley. After all, we've known each other for a long while now."

Ryo nodded, staring down at the floor. He was well aware when Rose stepped up to him and was staring down at him. He could feel his eyes drinking him in, scattering warm chills all over his body and a funny tingly feeling inside.

"Look at me, Randy Maclean," he demanded in a much huskier voice, one that made Ryo have a hard time swallowing. Timidly, his eyes traveled up his commissioner and stopped at his face. Staring into peoples' eyes weren't his thing. He got nervous and fidgety when he had to do it. The closest he's ever gotten was to

their mouths.

Rose smiled. "You have very beautiful eyes. I bet you get a lot of compliments."

Ryo's face flushed. He wasn't exactly used to getting so many comments at the same time, not even from Dee.

"Well…err…not exactly."

A terrific pause occurred between them. Ryo was afraid to blink as he continued to stare back into Rose's eyes.

"Do I make you feel uncomfortable? Would you rather not look at me?"

"I'm sorry sir, it's just I'm not used to it is all."

"Call me Berkeley."

Ryo's eyes wandered away from his and fell to his mouth where he had felt more comfortable.

"Why have you called me in here?"

Rose was just about to open his mouth when Dee flew back into the room, thrusting the door open, outraged and panting heavily, getting their attention.

"Dee!" Rose questioned loudly with a drop of anger.

Not far behind Dee was JJ with his tongue down to the floor like he had been lost in the desert for weeks.

"I'm not finished with you yet, DEEEEE."

"Too bad," Dee growled, pushing the spazz from the office. "Get lost."

Rose immediately began shouting at him the moment he slammed the door in JJ's face.

"Where do you get off being all snazzy!" he demanded, fuming in the face. "I specifically told you to get lost with Adams, didn't I!"

They've all pretty much now ignored the fact that JJ was now pounding on the door in pursuit. Dee stared at Ryo, but Ryo, of course, looked just a tad away from his eyes.

"You are not splitting us up," Dee said strictly, narrowing his eyes at his boss. "Until you can give me a good enough reason for splitting up our partnership, I see no reason why Randy Maclean shouldn't continue to be my associate."

Berkeley Rose was pretty much border lining the warpath. Beads of sweat grazed his forehead.

"You're being a little too mature for my taste right now, Laytner! I TOLD you my reason already! Maclean needs to be taught things! He'll never learn them from the likes of you!"

Ryo was about to speak when JJ slammed the door open, knocking Dee to the ground and straddling him.

"Normally I wouldn't go for this type of sickening behavior, but go for it JJ, this is the last time you do it here."

Dee was over heated. His worst enemy was straddling him and the love of his life was getting flirted with.

Just when he figured things couldn't get any worse, he had to witness Ryo being forcefully kissed against his will while being pinned up against the wall. Blood boiling, and completely unaware of his next action, he punched JJ square in the jaw and bounced to his feet. That bastard was kissing Ryo, and in front of him, no less! That was the last straw. He didn't care if he was the commissioner or the president of the U.S., he had no right to do whatever he pleased.

Mind somewhere else, Dee ripped Rose free from Ryo without a single thought in his mind and delivered the sharpest punch ever performed to mankind into his cheek, nearly breaking the bone cleanly. Rose let out a grunt as he stumbled back and hit the wall with a thud.

"Dee!" Ryo cried. "Why did you do that!"

He was obviously aware of the penalties. This had snapped Dee back into thought, just in time to witness Rose panting slightly and rubbing his already bruising cheek. Dee didn't have a prayer. He knew what was coming next, although he struggled to not think of it like that. Was it so wrong for Ryo to be happy and not molested? Couldn't Rose be in trouble too? Why did Dee always have to suffer?

"Detective Laytner…I'm preferably sick and tired of your bullshit. I've been looking for a reason the whole time to say the two little magic words to you. Now you just set yourself up so very nicely and I will not hesitate. You're fired."


	2. Change of Pace

"Commissioner Rose!" Ryo cried out.  
  
Rose silenced him by holding up a single finger.  
  
"Clean out your desk and get the hell out of here, former detective," Rose said, in a bit of a growl.  
  
Dee looked to Ryo, as if Ryo were going to help him out of this one. When all Ryo could do was portray a deeply saddened face, Dee flipped.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere! Now that you fired me, I no longer have to hold myself back!"  
  
With one single leap, Dee plunged into Berkely and delivered a stinging punch to his face, busting his lip against his own teeth. He was so deep into it that he didn't hear Ryo crying at him to stop. He only felt Ryo's strong grip on him, pulling him back. Ryo had to tug a few times, but finally got him off of Rose, holding his hands behind his back, pressing their bodies together with restraint.  
  
Dee struggled wildly, but one of Ryo's positives was his strength. He wasn't about to let Dee free.  
  
"Let me go Ryo if you know what's good for you!" he shouted.  
  
"Calm yourself, Dee, please!"  
  
Dee could have easily broken out of Ryo's grip, but listened to his former partner and stopped moving.  
  
"Just go home," he added.  
  
Dee's eyes went wide. "Ryo? You're not going to defend me?"  
  
All Ryo could do was sigh and lose eye contact.  
  
"Not if he knows what's good for him," Rose said with a bit of a smirk on his face, wiping away the blood.  
  
Dee growled. "Oh please, you lowlife, you'll never fire him, no matter what he does! You only fired me because you can't stand the fact that we got placed as partners and you want him all to yourself! Well that's not gonna happen, whether I'm gone or not!"  
  
Dee shook out of Ryo's grip and pointed a finger at Rose. "We aren't finished! Watch your back, Rosie."  
  
He stormed out of there in record speed, slamming the door behind him, nearly shattering the glass window on top.  
  
Ryo glanced at Rose for only a few short seconds before he walked to the door, preparing to meet up with Dee in their office.  
  
"I wouldn't if I were you, Ryo. You don't want to end up like Dee, do you?"  
  
Even though Ryo was a softy, he did understand what Berkely did was wrong. It was an offense to strike your superior, but what Rose did wasn't exactly allowable either.  
  
"I'm going to see if he needs any help," Ryo said in short, then left.  
  
Rose wiped the last of the blood and balled his fist. "Dammit! I'll kill that damn Laytner if it's the last thing I damn well do!"  
  
______________________  
  
"Did you come to express your sorrow?" Dee mocked, shoving random things into a plastic bag.  
  
Ryo stood in the doorway and sighed.  
  
"No. I told Berkely I was going to help you, but—"  
  
"Oh so you need to ask him permission for everything now, is that it?" Dee shot, throwing a framed picture to the bag, but missed and dropped by Ryo's feet. He bent over to pick it up. It was a picture of them on their first day as partners. Dee was happy. He smiled and waved his fingers through Ryo's hair, while the other carried his firearm. Ryo was actually happy too. Everyone was so nice to him when he first started out. Then they just had to go on vacation in the same spot they would meet Rose. Dee knew Rose only transferred so he could harass Ryo and push him to bed. That's when he smiled less and less, losing trust in people, and stopped coming to work for a long time. Rose didn't do anything though, because he liked him too much.  
  
"Don't leave, Dee," Ryo said in a barely audible voice, not taking his eye off the picture, staring directly at Dee. "This is your profession."  
  
"WAS," Dee corrected, snatching the picture out of Ryo's hand and shoving it into the plastic bag.  
  
Ryo followed him with his eyes. "You're being immature about this whole thing."  
  
Dee stopped dead and stared back at his former partner.  
  
"Me, immature?! That bastard had no right to force himself upon you like that! Get your facts straight and your eyes checked Ryo, because what you saw obviously wasn't right."  
  
Ryo brushed his fingers through his hair. "You're wrong. Berkely's only concerned."  
  
"Concerned about what?!" Dee cried, grasping the handles of the plastic bag with his right hand.  
  
"Concerned that you'll end up in my bed with your clothes off?! It's none of his goddamned business what goes on between me and you and I'll love you if I want!"  
  
Ryo's eyes went wide. Dee's followed. He had never expected that he would announce it like that. He always pictured a candle lit dinner at a fancy restaurant that was empty for the night with just only the two of them. He would hold Ryo's hand and speak out his undying love for his fellow partner.  
  
"Dee...?"  
  
"Get out of my way," Dee said coldly, brushing him aside and charging out in an instant.  
  
Ryo stayed behind, only to stare at the now vacant office and Dee's words still in his head. There had been many people that told him they loved him, preferably girls. It didn't matter to Ryo though what the gender was. He had been feeling something inside for Dee for a long while. Being the type of person he was, he was reluctant to get it out in the open.  
  
His eyes shut and lowered to the floor. "Oh Dee," he breathed.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll get over him," Berkely said from behind, placing his hand gently on Ryo's shoulder. "I know how you feel and I just simply can't tolerate it. It was needed to be done."  
  
Ryo gasped slightly. "Are you saying you set him up?"  
  
Berkely smirked, pushing his glasses to his face. "Not really. What I feel for you isn't set up. Dee just so happened to see it. It's not my fault he's a human beast and decides to protect his lover from harm, is it? Or are you not aware of his feelings towards you? Did I spoil the surprise?"  
  
Ryo cringed at Berkely's words. They were heavily built with drops of sarcasm and mockery. He shook his head.  
  
"Oh?" Berkely said, eyeing him. "So he has told you how he felt? Speak up Maclean!"  
  
Ryo felt as if the gift of tears were temped to threaten his very existence.  
  
"So what if he did!" Ryo cried, feeling the anger in him rise to the surface, demanding out. "So what if Dee feels protective of me?! I'm his partner, it's only right."  
  
"Was," Berkely corrected.  
  
"Is," Ryo demanded. "If you don't bring Dee back, I'm quitting."  
  
Leaving Berkely speechless, he grabbed his coat and dismissed himself from the office for the rest of the day.  
  
Heading over to Dee's was his main priority now. He couldn't get Dee's actions out of his head. Perhaps he overreacted strongly. Perhaps it was a little too strongly. He covered his face. It was all too complicating. He knew Dee cared for him that way, but why take the chance of striking your own boss to get a point across? It didn't make any sense. Now Dee was unemployed and in big trouble.  
  
Ryo knocked on his door timidly.  
  
"What do you want?" a voice from inside asked.  
  
"U-um, it's me, Dee."  
  
The door opened halfway and Dee filled up the space with his body. In the short time, he was able to change into casual clothing and look like he even relaxed a bit.  
  
"What, Ryo?" he asked, removing the cigarette from his mouth and carelessly flicking the ashes to the ground near Ryo's feet.  
  
"Can I...come in?" he asked.  
  
Dee popped his cigarette back into his mouth and moved aside. Ryo entered as if he'd never been there before, walking unbearably slow and shyly.  
  
"What did you want?" Dee questioned, shutting the door and looking back at Ryo.  
  
"I just...wanted to know how you were, that's all," Ryo said, not totally lying. "I'm worried about you, Dee. What you did to Rose...that's serious."  
  
Dee grunted, looking away. "Yeah well that guy pisses me off. He's always found SOMEWAY to piss me off! It just so happens he went just a little too far this time, and in front of me of all times! It was a setup Ryo,  
  
I know it." He clenched his fist. "That bastard was out to play me from day one! He knows I can't control my anger when it's serious!" He looked back over to Ryo, extracting smoke from his mouth. "So which is it, Ryo? You like him?"  
  
Ryo's eyes went wide. "What?"  
  
Dee gave him a tad of a glare. "Why must you always act so idiotic when asked a simple question? Just answer it and get it over with?"  
  
Ryo nearly shuddered at Dee's harsh words.  
  
"No," he said in a small voice, looking away. "I don't know who I like. It doesn't matter."  
  
"When why are you here?"  
  
Ryo watched Dee's feet get closer and closer to him.  
  
"Well...um...I..."  
  
Dee stopped only inches away from Ryo. Ryo looked up into Dee's penetrating eyes. Lifting his chin up with his index finger, their lips met. It was soft at first, then much harder. Dee was the first to push his tongue into his mouth and beg his tongue to come out to play. They wrestled for a bit, but only for a few before Ryo had to pull back for air. He opened his eyes to find that Dee was staring at him the entire time.  
  
"Dee," he breathed.  
  
"Tell me you're not falling for that creep, Ryo. Tell me I've just misunderstood the whole thing and got fired over a big lie."  
  
Ryo let out a small exhale. "You don't own me, Dee," he said in a tiny voice, making Dee's eyes twitch. "Even if I did like Rose...it's none of your concern."  
  
Dee backed up and folded his arms, acting like the badass he normally is.  
  
"And you came all this way on foot just to tell me that? Really Ryo, you must mistake me for a moron."  
  
Ryo's face loosened up. He knew he was being rather quite childish. "Actually, I came here to apologize, Dee. I didn't come here to fight with you or anything of the sort. I know Berkeley set you up."  
  
"Duh," came Dee's cold reply, extinguishing the lit end of the cigarette into the ashtray and leaned up against the wall with his arms folded.  
  
"But I don't know why."  
  
"I'll tell you," Dee said immediately. "Because he's a self-centered arrogant bastard who wants you all to himself and doesn't want anyone to get in his way. Good enough reason for you? Or can you not stand being on the top of someone's list?"  
  
"Not when it interferes with my job, no," Ryo said, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Oh, so what you're saying is that I was just supposed to sit back and watch him sexually harass you, is that it?"  
  
Ryo balled his fists. "I can fight my own battles, Dee! Let me sink or swim on my own!"  
  
Dee nodded quickly. "Oh yeah Ryo, I can tell, you were really struggling to get out of that one!" he yelled. "He totally had you under his total control and you just sat there and took it!"  
  
"So what if I did?!" Ryo countered. "That's none of your business! You don't own me and you never will!"  
  
"Oh well gee thanks for the concern, partner! Newsflash buddy, I got fired because I cared enough to save your precious virginity! Knowing that trashy Rose, he would have done that right in front of me too! He's the 'big boss'; he can do whatever he wants!"  
  
Ryo looked away. "It doesn't matter anymore," he said in a low voice. "It really doesn't matter what happens to me. I'm not going to get hurt over this any longer. I'm tired of being the football, Dee! I'm always getting trampled by the both of you!" He sighed met eyes with Dee once more. "I've given it a lot of thought, and my mind is made up...it's me that's going to be leaving."  
  
tbc 


	3. What We Never Thought He'd Do

Dee nearly stumbled backwards. "W-What? Ryo?!"  
  
"I'm tired of being everyone's center of attention, Dee, especially Rose's. I want to be able to walk into a workplace without being stared at with such passion or even stared at at all! Do you understand what I'm saying?"  
  
Dee straightened himself up. "Ryo, you don't have to take that! You don't have to take any of that! Rosie should be the one going down! What's wrong with you?! Are you blind?! There is something you can do!"  
  
Ryo sighed and shook his head. "I don't want to create any problems. I just want to be in a place where I can go, get my work done, and leave. That's all. Nothing more."  
  
Dee felt his jaw clench. His body grew hot with anger and frustration. "You better take all that back, Ryo! I didn't get fired today over a lost cause! Are you listening to me?!"  
  
Ryo had his back turned the whole time and his head lowered. He tried not to think about his confusion. One minute, he was sticking up for Dee, then the next second, he doesn't want anything to happen to Berkeley. He slapped a hand over his face.  
  
"All I can say Dee...is that I never asked for you to step in. It was your choice and I really don't want to have to hear you complain about it."  
  
Dee's fists clenched. "Well forgive me for caring! I thought I knew you, Ryo! You know, maybe next time I'll let the asshole go all the way and just leave you standing there against the wall, whimpering like a baby! Oh no, wait, excuse me, I forgot whom I was talking to. You'd like it! Sure, you'll like what HE does to you, but you can't stand being around me!"  
  
Ryo spun to him. "That's not true, Dee!"  
  
"Or you just think that maybe just because he makes more money than I do, that mean's I'm outta here?"  
  
Ryo frowned, half angry, half confused. "Where did money come in all of a sudden? Dee, I told you that I'm not gay! You never listen; you just keep forcing yourself upon me without even consulting me first!"  
  
"Do I have to ask every single time I want a simple peck on the mouth?!" he countered. "You've never pushed back, Ryo, so don't pin all this blame on me! The only reason I haven't been able to go all the way is because that idiot Bikky always comes in, every single time it starts getting good!"  
  
Ryo pointed a finger at him. "That's exactly what I mean! If Bikky didn't come in, who knows what monstrous acts you'd be performing on me! Did you even ask me if I wanted them?! Did you even care about my feelings, or are you always thinking about yourself?!"  
  
"Ryo..." Dee began in a growl.  
  
"At least with Rose, he'd listen to me, he'd accept my feelings!"  
  
Dee's face loosened, but still stayed more on the angry side. "Are you telling me you actually wanted to kiss that creep?! Is something going on between you two, or was it just a setup, so I would hit him and get fired? You want me out of your life that bad?!"  
  
This had been dragging on for so long now that Ryo didn't even know what they were arguing about anymore. First it was of Ryo quitting, then it went to him being fired. It was just all mixed up, confusing him even more.  
  
"Dee..." he started out soft, calm and collective. "It's none of your business who I love, or who matters most to me, because you don't fit in either of those categories. You're just my colleague. I never want you to step in for me again, or even...talk to me."  
  
His eyes fell to the floor as he sighed. Tears came to his eyes with no trouble. A large pause occurred between them. Dee's mouth went salty and soon discovered he had a hard time swallowing. The person he had cared about more than life itself was showing no hesitation in throwing him out the door in one simple sentence.  
  
Dee studied his former partner's face. His hands trembled.  
  
"You really mean that?" came his hurt and broken voice. "After all those times I've tried to make you happy, you're just throwing me out like yesterday's trash?"  
  
Ryo swallowed hard and nodded. "Sorry Dee."  
  
The next thing Ryo knew, his back was cemented to the wall and his lips were being savagely abused by Dee's. His eyes were sprung open the whole time Dee's relentless lips continued their assault. He never returned the favor. All he could do was stand perfectly still.  
  
Dee's perfect mouth nipped at his collarbone next, then went around to his neck.  
  
"I don't take no for an answer," Dee replied huskily, biting Ryo's neck and making tiny love bites. Ryo winced and reached one hand up into Dee's hair, grasping it and trying to relieve the painful sensations. He tilted his neck involuntarily to give him better access. Dee smiled at this and sucked lovingly on the tiny bites, raveling the taste of him.  
  
Ryo went weak at the knees at the physical contact he was receiving on the most sensitive part of his body.  
  
His lips parted and a small moan escaped them.  
  
"This is wrong," he whispered, eyes closed.  
  
"It's not wrong when two people want it," Dee contradicted, then claimed his lips again.  
  
Ryo's gave a small cry as his eyes clenched tightly and responded lightly to Dee's harsh kisses.  
  
As good as this felt, Ryo couldn't do it. He couldn't give Dee the time of day like Dee had wished.  
  
Gathering up all his inner strength and courage, he clamped both hands to Dee's shoulders and pushed him back, panting.  
  
"No, Dee! What don't you understand about that word?!"  
  
Dee shot off probably the most evil of any look he had given off in the past. His fist shook, desperate to become impacted with some form of object, or Ryo's face for that matter. He was tired of getting lead on and then getting blamed at for it. It took a great deal to calm himself down before he did end up regretting striking something.  
  
Ryo had been too busy protecting himself to take any notice that Dee was on the verge of screaming and punching a hole in the wall.  
  
Without even thinking, Dee took a flying leap at Ryo and slammed him into the wall, crashing their mouths together so hard that their teeth could have broke. Ryo yelled out muffled incoherent pleas into Dee's mouth as both of Dee's hands were free to roam his body harshly. He was tired of being played with. Dee knew what he wanted and he wanted it now. No more Mr. Nice Guy.  
  
"Dee, what are you doing?!" Ryo managed to cry as he moved his head. It wasn't long before his head was yanked back to its previous position and falling right back into Dee's unwelcoming grasp.  
  
Ryo never stopped trying to push him away. Dee was angry for what Rose did to him, but Dee was just bouncing the same situation back on him. Where did Dee gather the right to violate Ryo?  
  
Ryo yelped when Dee's hand wandered down to his member, grasping it anything but softly. The pain caused all his strength and courage to build up and shoved Dee as hard as he could, yelling for him to stop. The eyes he had looked into for that fraction of a second didn't belong to any friend of his. Those eyes were more of a cold-blooded killer, out for the sheer joy of listening to others begging for their lives and taking no mercy.  
  
Ryo quickly regretted taking any sort of action when the left side of his head felt like it had caved in. White spots built up, blocking his vision as he snapped his neck to the right hand side. The impact was so forceful that all he could hear was Dee's voice yelling. He couldn't make out the words clearly. His body felt more and more heavy and before he knew it, he was on the ground with his head up against the wall.  
  
"Are you listening to me?!" Dee hollered, yanking up the man by his shirt collar. Their noses just barely touched. "You think you're too good for me, is that it?! I bet you feel real special pulling this shit on me, don't you Ryo?! Go back to Rose, see what I care! Be his whore. It's the only thing you're good for! You better be out of here when I get back!"  
  
He released Ryo, only to scoff as he slid back down to the floor, eyes fluttering. Dee collected his jacket and stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door behind him. 


	4. Aftermath

When Ryo finally came to, he realized what had gone on and where he was. He picked himself up off the floor, sliding up the wall and letting loose tiny whimpers at the same time. Not that he was in pain, just hurt and desecrated. He couldn't rid Dee's horrible facial expressions from his mind, especially his eyes. Those eyes didn't belong to a friend of his. He would even go straight to believing that someone jumped into his body and used him to get revenge for something. It scared him to the highest degree. Was it really his fault he had mixed feelings for Dee? What did he do to deserve this sort of action against him?  
  
"I was playing with him," Ryo whispered, allowing tears to fall from his clenched eyelids as his head was thrown against the wall tenderly. "It's my fault. I lead him on. But you shouldn't have taken it like that, Dee!" he said to nothing in particular and balled his fist lightly out of frustration. "My god what have I done to you to be worthy of that action?! Please tell me it wasn't you that did that, please tell me it was a dream. Just one, horrible, meant to forget dream. When I get away from this spot, you'll be in the kitchen, at the table with your cup of coffee, reading the newspaper. When I say me greetings, you'll look up from the paper and welcome me with that smile of yours. Then when I reach into the fridge to pull out something to drink, you'll stand over me, waiting for me to stand back up again. When I do, you'll claim my mouth with yours, but this time, I won't pull back. It'll be my apology to you, Dee."  
  
Ryo separated himself from the wall and shakily walked over to Dee's kitchen entrance, only to peer in and find it empty and eerily quiet. He wanted anything but to be alone right now.  
  
Feeling weak at the knees, he walked over to the adjacent bathroom and entered, shutting the door behind him. The events of that day a moment ago, not leaving his head. The detective looked into the mirror with great courage to perceive him himself as he was. It sickened him how he could be so weak.  
  
He couldn't stop whispering to Dee that he was sorry, even in the mirror. He looked straight into his own eyes and told him his apologies. Never had he been so disgusted with himself.  
  
"Anything you want, Dee, I'll do anything for you," he whispered back in his own sickening reflection.  
  
___________________  
  
"Serves him right," Dee said, as he walked down an alley with his hands shoved in his pockets. He had calmed down slightly, but not enough to take back what he did to him. "I'm sick of being played with! I specifically warned him not to turn my feelings into a joke, but what does he do? He thinks he can get me going and then all of a sudden, just stop?! I don't think so!" He delivered a clenched fist into the brick wall beside him, nearly breaking his hand. "What the hell do I see in him? Goddamn it Ryo, I'll get you yet!"  
  
He walked down the busy streets of New York City, muttering under his breath and occasionally yelling aloud, getting people to wonder.  
  
He soon strangely found himself thinking at an empty bar, preparing not to leave until he had drank so much that he would even forget what Ryo looked like and all his problems would be gone.  
  
__________________  
  
Ryo left Dee's soon afterwards, hiding his bloodshot eyes as he walked home to his apartment, hoping Bikky wouldn't be there to ask questions. Knowing Bikky, he wouldn't leave him alone until he knew every juicy detail. If that happened, Ryo was afraid he'd never see Dee alive again. Bikky would pound him and make him one with the cement.  
  
No matter what though, Ryo couldn't make himself hate Dee. You can't hate someone if it wasn't their fault, right? If Ryo had taken Dee into his life like Dee wished, this would never have happened.  
  
As Ryo walked home, not once in his mind did he think Dee was at fault for anything. He was the 'perfect' one. Ryo was entirely at fault.  
  
Inserting the key into the keyhole, he brushed his tears away one last time and then opened the door. The loud music in the adjacent room told him that Bikky was here after all. At least with the loud music, he could sneak into his room without Bikky even knowing he was here. Ryo shut the front door and descended into his room, closing the door softly behind him, falling onto his bed and burying his face into the pillow. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget about Dee and the incident that officially made him hate his own very existence. What had made Dee flip like that?  
  
"No, that wasn't Dee, that wasn't you!" Ryo muffled into his pillow, allowing more warm tears to escape his eyes. He had never been so emotionally disturbed before in his life. "I'm so sorry. Please come back, Dee. I know you must hate me. I promise I'll give you anything. I know I'm overreacting and being terribly out of character, but I don't care! I don't care!"  
  
His eyes flew open while still being buried in the pillow when a knock startled him. He heard it open. He was half hoping it was Dee, let in by Bikky. But then again, Bikky would never let him in unless he had a very good reason. Could he have explained this to Bikky in such a short time? And quietly he may add.  
  
"Uh...Ryo? I didn't here you come in, but...can I borrow twenty bucks?"  
  
That was definitely the voice of Bikky. So much for keeping this discreet.  
  
"Yeah whatever," Ryo responded, oddly cold. "You were going to take it anyway, that's why you came in here, not thinking I was home."  
  
Half of that was muffled, but Bikky still put two and two together and realized what he said.  
  
"I was going to return it if I didn't need it. Why are you so grumpy? Bad day?"  
  
"Excuse me if I don't like kids barging into my bedroom, digging in my private stash of money," Ryo responded, getting Bikky's eyes to grow wide and take a tiny step backwards.  
  
"Take the money and go."  
  
Bikky frowned. "Ryo—?"  
  
"Go!"  
  
Bikky didn't move. When Ryo didn't hear any movement or voice, he figured Bikky had gone. Looking up, the teenager had his fists to his hips and a demanding look upon his face.  
  
"Dee again?" he questioned.  
  
Ryo narrowed his eyes and tried not to lose whatever cool he still collected.  
  
"Bikky, I'm not in the mood for chatter or explanation. Please just take the money and leave. I want to be alone."  
  
Bikky was about to turn out and leave under Ryo's command when a black and blue forming bruise caught his eye at Ryo's face. His eyes fixed on the large mark as if he had never seen a bruise before. Ryo saw where his eyes were staring and immediately covered the mark.  
  
"Go Bikky!" he yelled. "This is none of your concern! We just got into a little argument, that's it!"  
  
If Bikky was the kid he used to be when he was younger, he would have just walked out and not give a care in the world, but this was Ryo. HIS Ryo. The one who gave him a place to live and food to eat. They were pretty much father and son and no son would just take off from his father unless he knew he was going to be all right. Bikky would probably never admit it, but he loved Ryo like he was his biological father. He would even go to as far as killing Dee if he hurt him. Bikky had a feeling he would just have to cross that boundary now. Ryo hardly ever cried, and never in his whole life had Bikky seen a bruise like that on his face.  
  
"Oh, that's it, huh?" he said, putting on his street-like attitude. "If that was it, you wouldn't be trying to dismiss me so harshly like you are now. Tell me what really happened. Let me guess, you said no and Dee, being the asshole he is, hit you. And now that that's happened, he's not going to live to see another sunrise."  
  
Ryo sighed and covered his face. There was no getting rid of Bikky. Once he was interested, he stuck to it like glue.  
  
"It wasn't Dee's fault, don't blame him," he said quietly. "It was mine. I keep going along with his actions and the second it gets deeper and more pleasurable for him, I stop. It's only right he got so angry."  
  
Bikky fumed in the face. This only made him hate Dee more.  
  
"If you said no in the past, he should have learned from it and not continue it again. It's his fault. He keeps doing it. If no was said the first time, it's going to be the same the second time."  
  
Ryo shook his head furiously. "No Bikky, that's not it at all! I keep leading him on! I throw myself at him!"  
  
Bikky scoffed. "Don't stick up for him. I've even heard you say no to him a few times. I never liked Dee, but now he better hope he never sees me again, or else he's never going to be able to walk again."  
  
Ryo knew Bikky was crazy enough to do it. Ever since he had reached sixteen, he's been too overprotective of him, acting like Ryo was too weak to fight his own battles.  
  
Ryo stood. It felt nice to still have at least one ally in his life. "Thanks Bikky, but let me handle this one on my own, okay? Take a vacation from stepping in for me."  
  
Bikky opened his mouth to speak, but Ryo caught him by holding up a single finger.  
  
"I insist. Why don't you spend the night at Cal's tonight too. I need some time alone to think."  
  
Bikky nodded. He had no problems there. He said his farewells and left the apartment, leaving Ryo alone once again with his thoughts. 


	5. Compulsory Relieve

Ryo had no idea how long he had fallen asleep for, but awoke immediately to the sound of his phone ringing. He turned on the lamp on the nightstand and checked the caller id. It was Cal's number. Just as his hand had been placed on the phone, it had stopped ringing and the answering machine clicked on. It ended up being Bikky, asking if he was okay, mainly just checking in like he normally did. Ryo just smiled to himself. He was so lucky to have someone that developed from a punky street kid to a happy, loving teenager. But even though he tried to get his mind off of things, Dee kept coming back into the picture. He was even in his dreams for the short time he had fallen asleep. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he thinking about the situation?  
  
Ryo sighed and lay back down onto his pillow, arm covering over his eyes.  
  
"Will I ever be good enough for him?"  
  
_______________________  
  
"Will I ever be good enough for him?" Dee asked in a mutter to several pairs of ears, over his fourth drink at the now filled bar. The bartender had been listening in eagerly at his self-conversation, but got a side of the story after he had started asking questions.  
  
"Bummer. Your lover's going with the commish while you get stuck with no job," he said, nodding. "Tough call."  
  
"But why go to that guy? I mean, there are plenty of single people in this world," the man to the left of him had said.  
  
Dee shook his head. "No way. Ryo's the one. It was love at first sight. I'm not about to give him up for the next bum that comes my way, looking for a good night."  
  
"Looks like you already did, bud," the guy from the right voiced next. "He's goin' with that commish guy."  
  
"Over my dead body," Dee muttered, pushing his glass forth, asking for another drink with body language.  
  
The bartender shook his head, taking the glass anyway.  
  
"No more for you. That's your fourth one. Go home and get some rest."  
  
Dee growled and reached into his pocket, pulling out and slapping a fifty- dollar bill upon the tabletop.  
  
"Convincing enough for ya?" he asked in a just beginning slur.  
  
Everyone watched the bartender to see what he'd do. He rather "hesitantly" took the fifty bucks and gave Dee what he had paid for.  
  
__________________________  
  
Ryo had just gotten out of the shower and towel-dried his hair when the front door was knocked on. Telling them to hold on a minute, he dried his still tear streaked face and threw loose black pants and a shirt on. Giving his face one last rub, he walked to the door.  
  
"Hold on," he said, fumbling with the door locks, obviously still not totally with it.  
  
The door opened the rest of the way by itself and the person that graced his presence was none other than Berkeley Rose.  
  
"Hi Ryo. I just came over to see if you needed anything."  
  
Ryo lowered his head. "Oh...no. No I'm okay. Just a little tired I guess."  
  
"Mind if I come in? I don't think we can have a conversation with me standing in the doorway."  
  
Ryo nodded without thinking and let Rose enter. Rose never took his eyes off Ryo, smile disappearing as his eyes were sealed to Ryo's face. There was no doubt in Ryo's mind what he was looking at, and looked away.  
  
"It's...nothing," he said, walking away. Rose followed him like a puppy.  
  
"It doesn't look like nothing. Did that asshole hit you?" he asked with the most chilling, serious voice that Ryo had ever heard. It made him freeze.  
  
Ryo's back was still turned to him. He slouched his shoulders and lowered his head with a sigh. "No. It was from our last case. Someone...got physical with me, that's all."  
  
Rose let out a throated growl. "I didn't see it before. I'm not stupid. I know EXACTLY what happened. Where is he?!"  
  
Ryo's heart beat loudly in his chest. He knew that if Rose got a hold of him, he would be torn to shreds.  
  
"I...I don't know," Ryo said honestly, still not facing him.  
  
Rose let out a louder snarl and towered over Ryo. Ryo felt him breathing down his neck.  
  
"Don't lie to me."  
  
Ryo closed his eyes as Rose's hands clamped his wrists lightly and slowly moved their way upwards.  
  
"I care about you a lot Ryo. More than words can say. Please get your mind off Dee. He's gone and not coming back. Your face shows it all. He doesn't care."  
  
Ryo's eyes flew open as he felt Rose's warm lips at his neck.  
  
"I remember we tried to do this before, but Dee threw himself into my office," he said in a beginning husky voice. Ryo groaned almost silently as he arched his neck slowly. Normally he wouldn't be this easy, but hard times call for desperate measures. He wanted nothing more than to be in someone's embrace right now. Dee found no more use for him, he made that perfectly clear.  
  
He felt Rose's finger gently caress the area on his cheek where his forming bruise was taking place.  
  
"You would never have to worry about me getting physical on you, Ryo," he whispered into his ear, driving his tongue slowly over the edge. "I want nothing more than for you to be happy."  
  
Rose's right hand traveled slowly down Ryo's side, brushing his hand over his, enlacing fingers, while the other hand still remained at the bruise. Ryo tightened his shivering body as Rose lightly tapped his lips over the bruise, touching his skin with just the tip of his moistened tongue.  
  
"You okay with this?" Rose asked in his deep, rough voice that would make anyone go weak at the knees. "I wouldn't ever want to do anything that make you feel uncomfortable, Ryo."  
  
Ryo's eyes were now shut, and his mouth let out tiny moans of the joy of someone being close to him, giving him love and warmth.  
  
Ryo's silence Rose assumed meant he wanted everything he could offer him, just too nervous to say so. He took the closed eyes and the soft moans as a hint. Smirking evilly, he traced his tongue around his ear, yet again, and dipped the tip inside his ear, extracting a tiny flinch from Ryo.  
  
Rose took both hands back and turned Ryo's head to the side, kissing him fully on the lips. Ryo's eyes sprang open on contact, letting out a tiny moan of protest, but never actually physically pushed him back or even looked as if he was resisting. Rose smiled mentally and traveled his right hand down past Ryo's chest to his outer thigh.  
  
"If you let me, I can show you what you've been missing all this time," he whispered lustfully, taking advantage of Ryo's parted lips, claiming every inch of the man's mouth. "Don't be afraid to let me show you."  
  
Ryo felt his knees weaken. Rose had said things that Dee repeated to him over and over again, but for some reason, Ryo's mind was completely oblivious to the world around him as Rose threw every ounce of dramatic passion he could through a single kiss. He was obviously very experienced and knew how to please.  
  
When Ryo lightly responded to the kiss, Rose's fingers slowly brushed across his leg, making themselves busy, fingering Ryo's inner thigh, brushing up against his slowly hardening member purposely, causing the young detective to flinch and break the kiss. He stared back into Rose's licentious eyes, seeing only his frightened reflection. He broke out of his tender grasp and now faced him, breathing a little heavier than normal.  
  
"What are you doing?" he respired.  
  
Rose took it upon himself to remove his jacket and loosen his tie. "Isn't it obvious? I want to show you how much I love and appreciate you, Randy Maclean."  
  
Before Ryo even had a chance to react, Rose allowed himself to whisk him off into his bedroom, not saying a word, only uttering words of resist, but not putting them into play, letting Rose do whatever he pleased.  
  
You don't love me, Ryo thought; you're only doing this to get back at Dee! I don't want this. I don't! Dee, wherever you are, please come back before it's too late! 


	6. No Changing His Mind

"Alright, that's it, you're totally wasted, dude. Come on, let me help you out of here."  
  
Dee felt his arm being slung over a pair of shoulders, but wasn't conscious enough to even visualize it. It didn't also occur to him the horrid hangover he would have when he finally came to.  
  
"This guy you're wasting yourself on must be really worth it," the listener that hung around had said, summoning for help when he realized Dee couldn't walk without tripping.  
  
"Thit zamn Ryo. He'z jiss niver gits zit, duzze?" Dee said, unable to fully form words with his flimsy tongue. The two men that carried him exchanged glances.  
  
"Um...listen pal, where do you live? Let's take you home and get you some rest. You can go for your friend in the morning."  
  
"Naah, izzakay. I gozza zee im."  
  
Luckily the two that supported him knew gibberish when they heard it. It wasn't the first time they had talked a man through his problems, then watched him rid them with countless drinks. It was a daily regimen.  
  
"No, you're not seeing anyone tonight, bud. By the way you're talking, I'm going to feel bad for you in the morning. That hangover is going to be appalling."  
  
He exchanged nods with the other supporter.  
  
"Just give your friend a call in the morning. I don't think he's going to change his mind about you over night, alright man?"  
  
Dee just slurred out anything he could comprehend for even just a second, lowering his head in defeat.  
  
"You can sure hold your alcohol down though, that's for sure. If I were in your shoes, I'd be throwing up all over the place!"  
  
"Give him an hour or so. Thankfully we won't be around to see it."  
  
Both men laughed, unaware that just at that very second, Dee's stomach was starting to turn. Since he was at a rather comatose stage, he didn't make a run anywhere, or even acknowledged that he was about to be sick. Before the two men knew it, their feet were wearing the contents that once occupied Dee's stomach.  
  
___________________________  
  
"Commissioner Rose, this is too fast!" Ryo shouted, gathering every bit of mental strength he could to have the courage to push his boss away. In this short time, Rose was able to remove his own shirt, and rip Ryo's clean from his body.  
  
His lips tingled and felt heavy, due to the blood rising to the surface from Rose's assault on them. Not even Dee had ever kissed him like that, but nevertheless, he felt as if they shouldn't go on. He was strictly well aware of Rose's feelings towards him, but still kept their distance.  
  
"You're just scared, Ryo. It's natural. You've never been with another man before. I will go as slow as you'd like me to."  
  
With that said, he crept closer with a smirk that scared Ryo. He backed up with every tiny step that was taken to him, until he was pinned to the wall. Rose enjoyed the fact that he could no longer move, and it aroused him to an even further extent.  
  
Ryo felt his limbs grow limp.  
  
"I'll scream," he respired, looking fearfully into the other man's eyes. "I swear I will."  
  
Rose stopped moving and chuckled. "Oh Randy, you're just sad about what happened with Dee."  
  
Finally, Ryo's frightened look still remained; no matter what comforting words he would offer. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Alright, you win. Go get your shirt back on. I'll make us some tea."  
  
Ryo could definitely sense the complete drop in his mood, and as much as it made him feel a lot more relieved, he was still a trembling mess.  
  
After Rose left his room, he let out a breath of air that turned into a sigh of relief, which he had been holding in for what seemed like forever. He had been wishing that Bikky was here and let him do all the work.  
  
Ryo kicked himself mentally for not being as strong as his kid was. No wonder everyone liked to hit on him, because he was so damn weak and didn't know how to straighten up and just say no firmly. Every time he went to try, he would chicken out. He's learned to accept Dee, but that was the final. No one else was getting past his shivering shell.  
  
He threw his shirt on, trying to keep his strength in full force. Rose was found in the kitchen, doing exactly what he said he was going to do. Why was he there? Because Ryo was too damn scared to kick him out. This was it. He had to fess up and stop being such a coward. This was New York City; there were no such things as cowards.  
  
"Leave..." Ryo whispered, but it wasn't loud enough for Rose to hear. He continued about in the kitchen, still half naked, and taking over everything like he owned the place.  
  
Ryo clenched his fists nervously and cussed gently to himself. He was still afraid of this man.  
  
Rose saw him before he could try again. "Oh good, you're dressed. Would you like anything else?"  
  
"I just..." Ryo started, with his head down to the ground.  
  
"What?" Rose questioned seriously, unable to hear him clearly.  
  
"I just...want to be left alone, that's all I want."  
  
He hadn't said that loud, but it was enough to hit Rose's ears. Rose was a bit thrown back, but tried not to let Ryo's sudden attitude affect him any. He just went about, getting the tea ready.  
  
"You just say that because you're afraid of what Dee did to you," he said, reaching up into the cabinets to grab two teacups.  
  
Ryo's heart beat loudly in his chest. His mouth and fingers grew numb with scare. If he didn't get rid of Rose now, he knew he wouldn't take it easy on his shyness again. He wouldn't stop again. Lord knows why he did in the first place. He's wanted Ryo since he could remember.  
  
If he didn't rid him now, Ryo would be taken advantage of in his own place.  
  
"I deserved...what Dee did to me. I played with him and got it right back. I'm not mad at him and I want him to come back."  
  
Rose spun to him, nearly dropping the cups and shattering them to pieces.  
  
"I played with his mind yet again and treated him so inhumanly. I can't get my mind straight, even now."  
  
Rose placed the cups down on the countertop with a sigh. "Ryo, you're not a toy. I apologize for taking it the way I did. The reason I like you isn't because you're so timid and I would be in total control. That isn't it at all. And I don't only like you because I want to get back at Dee. I fired him because he struck his superior, which by law equals immediate termination."  
  
He paused. All Ryo could do was stare at the ground and continue to be confused.  
  
Rose sighed. "Okay, so I am jealous that Dee can jump on you whenever he likes—"  
  
"That is not true!" Ryo shouted, scaring the both of them. Ryo's eyes went wide, as did Rose's, but he tried to act as if his voice didn't rise that much.  
  
"Dee can't do whatever he pleases to me whenever he feels like it. Obviously I've resisted earlier, otherwise he wouldn't have...hit me."  
  
Ryo's voice tone dramatically dropped. Rose sighed and approached him.  
  
"And you think that I'm going to stoop to his level and pounce on you like he continues to do?"  
  
Ryo didn't lie. He nodded. If it weren't for him hesitating earlier, who knows what they would be doing right now.  
  
Rose twitched. The heavy silence in the room scared them both. Ryo was reaching out for help and all Rose has been doing was trying to wiggle him into the sack all this time.  
  
Neither of them spoke for the longest time. Ryo showed no more facial signs or body expressions that demanded that Rose leave. He felt relaxed knowing he could settle this without using the violent side of him, which hardly ever showed itself.  
  
Rose let out a breath of air. "Ryo...we both know you're confused because of Dee. I don't know what his problem is, but I'd hate like hell to see you being brought down to his level of immaturity. You're a good man and a good detective. You're also lonely and I can see it in your eyes that you need someone."  
  
Rose stepped closer a little faster, until he was just inches away from Ryo.  
  
"You need someone that's not going to confuse you," he said, almost huskily, taking in Ryo's gorgeous body with his hungry eyes. "And I'll admit it, every time I see you, I go insane."  
  
He cupped Ryo's face at the speed of light and crashed their lips together. Ryo allowed his body to go completely numb. He couldn't fight any longer.  
  
"I can't...stay away from you any longer. Just the sight of you makes me want to bite every inch of your body, leaving permanent marks."  
  
Tears surfaced Ryo's eyes as he kissed Rose back. He would do anything to try and not be confused any longer. If this is what it took for him not to be confused, then he was willing to try anything once.  
  
As Rose got into a sitting position on the couch, Ryo straddled his hips and heated their kiss. Rose smiled mentally. He was finally getting what he yearned for all this time.  
  
Rose's hand was just in the process of sliding up underneath Ryo's shirt, when the door was knocked on and a familiar slurred, louder than usual, voice was heard.  
  
"Ryo? Izzu en dare?"  
  
Grasper's note: Yes, forgive my horrifying Dee slurs. I've never been drunk, so I couldn't speak from experience, but it was fun trying to cook up something. Well, Dee's back. What's Ryo to do? 0_0 Isn't Rose going to have some fun with a drunken Dee ^^ 


	7. Rose's Counterattack

"What the FUCK is HE doing here?!" Rose growled, obviously angry for being interrupted.  
  
Ryo just sat frozen, unable to move or have the ability to speak.  
  
Rose motioned for him to move. Ryo did so quickly and shifted onto a sitting position on the couch. Rose stood with a violent rage and walked to the door.  
  
"You got real nerve coming here drunk, Laytner!" he griped as he fumbled with the locks. "I'm in the right mind to—"  
  
Ryo rose to his feet in surprise as the door was pushed open, smacking Rose's head, and causing him to stumble backwards. Ryo's jaw gaped, unable to comprehend that he was witnessing such acts right in his very own home.  
  
Dee took Rose by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall beside the door.  
  
"I had a feeling you'd try something if Ryo was alone!" he shouted, not two inches from the man's face, watching his newly forehead wound turn scarlet red and let loose a single stream of blood.  
  
All visible and vocal sounds of Dee being drunk somehow vanished entirely. Rose was half in and half out, not deciding whether he wanted to keep his eyes half way open, or closed entirely. With one more slam against the wall by Dee, his head was hit, and his eyes stayed closed.  
  
"Bastard," Dee muttered, tossing him to the side like a rag doll. He turned to Ryo with a glare.  
  
"What in the HELL were you thinking?!"  
  
Ryo had to ball his fists to calm him down. He took in a breath of air. "How long were you out there for?"  
  
"Just long enough to know what was going on inside. I do admit I got drunk and I probably did sound like that, but you know how fast I recover, right?" he asked, not looking at Ryo, but at a pack of cigarettes he dug out of his pocket.  
  
"Umm..." Ryo looked away, "y-yeah."  
  
Dee lit the end of the cigarette and took a notice that Ryo was trying to avoid eye contact with him at all costs. Why? Shame? Guilt? Anger? Who knows.  
  
"You still mad at me?" he asked, with an ever so slight mumble from the cigarette being in between his lips.  
  
"Why would I be mad at you?" Ryo asked quickly, feeling uneasy being penetrated by the former detective's piercing stare.  
  
Dee held the cigarette in between his fingers and let out a sigh of smoke. "I've had time to think it over. From what I can remember about my surroundings, three people gathered around me and listened to my problems. I remember every word I said there, but there was only one sentence that I kept repeating over and over again."  
  
Ryo felt himself lighten. His mind was still cloudy, but things seemed to appear a little more real now that Dee was back and didn't feel so claustrophobic like he was around just Rose.  
  
"Do you want to know what it was?" Dee asked, stepping to who would always be his partner.  
  
Ryo swallowed hard, but couldn't bear to look back. "W-What?"  
  
"That I hope I didn't hurt you," he said, voice dramatically dropping. "Did I?"  
  
When Ryo didn't speak right away, Dee's heart started racing.  
  
"Ryo?"  
  
Ryo turned around completely, back facing Dee. "I'm not a toy, Dee. I can't only be brought out to be played with, then shoved back in a box."  
  
"Hell, I know that Ryo. It's just...a lot of shit's been going on. I'm out of work now, okay? I'm a little stressed. To know you're going to be at work every day, alone with that asshole, gets me to the point where I chew my nails halfway down to the cuticles. And here he was, making moves on you, taking advantage of my mistake!"  
  
"No one's taking advantage of me!" I'm a MAN now, and whatever I WANT when it comes to a relationship, that is NOT being taken advantage of!"  
  
Dee slapped a hand over his face. "You're so damn naïve. You don't know the first thing about taking care of yourself. You don't know what you want. You might as well be classified as a toy."  
  
"Why? Because I won't give you the time of day like you keep begging me for?!" he asked. "Forgive me if I have at least a little somewhat pride in myself!"  
  
Dee looked to him with a somewhat saddened facial expression.  
  
"Would you rather me sleep with the entire square inch of New York City? Then maybe it'll make you feel better! It seems as though you're the only one I can't seem to please! What do I have to do? What do you want from me?!" he cried.  
  
Dee bit his lower lip as his eyes met with Ryo's. He had never seen them so disturbed before. Allowing his reflexes to take over, he surprised Ryo especially by enveloping him into a backbreaking hug. Ryo's eyes went huge as Dee rested his head on his shoulder.  
  
"D-Dee?"  
  
As taken back as Ryo was, he could have sworn he heard a shuddering gasp come from Dee, signaling he was breaking down into tears. His hands gripped Ryo's shirt, clenching the material in his hands.  
  
"I'm sorry Ryo, I don't mean to be this way, I really don't," he sobbed, burying his face into the crook of the other man's neck. "I don't have an occupation any further, my worst enemy in all of my life is hitting on the only one thing that means the world to me, I just can't cope with it! I'm tired of this! I don't handle stress easily. I never have."  
  
Ryo just held the sobbing man close, allowing him to ramble, and rubbing the back of his head slowly to calm him down. His attitude nearly made Ryo take so much sorrow on him, that he almost fell to his state.  
  
"Please forgive me. I love you so much, Ryo, I don't know how many times I've said it," he said, voice quivering.  
  
"I know, Dee," he comforted quietly, brushing his jet-black hair with his fingers. "It's okay."  
  
A quiet rustle got their attention. Dee opened his watery eyes with a snap, to notice Rose coming to his feet, gun in hand, pointed at Dee, and the free hand to his forehead, covering the freshly made wound.  
  
"You are so fucked for this, Laytner. I shall see to it that this doesn't go unpunished. Any last words before your date with the cold earth?"  
  
Ryo's head perked up immediately. "Commissioner..."  
  
"Shut up if you know what's good for you. I'll have my talk with you later. Laytner, I've thought about my consequences, and I've come to the conclusion that I really don't care what happens to me, just so as long as vermin like yourself are eliminated from this world."  
  
Both men watched at Rose's finger itched along the trigger, squeezing it ever so gently, as if to tempt and tease them. Neither one of them were prepared with what occurred next... 


	8. Bikky vs Dee

Dee sat in the waiting room of the nearest hospital as surgery on Ryo was being performed at the fastest speed possible. He covered his face with a slight sob. Ryo took the bullet that was intended for Dee by Rose, delivered straight into his chest. Dee could hear the hot determined piece of lead whizzing through the air and making its target Ryo's chest, easily piercing through the skin and making that its resting place.  
  
Dee's mouth nearly dropped to the floor and his eyes were like saucers as the impact of the bullet flew his fragile body straight back into him. Dee was so fixated on Ryo's quivering body that he forgot all about the bastard that shot him. In a sheer panic, he called out Ryo's name, making sure that he heard him, and that his eyes stayed open.  
  
Ryo's eyes remained open, but barely. Half lidded. Blood dribbled down from the corner of his mouth in a single stream.  
  
Dee wanted to strangle Rose to the point of his death right now. He didn't give a damn what would happen to him. He was already out of a job, so what did it matter? He had it all planned out in 0.1 seconds, but by the time he yanked his head around to the door, Rose was gone.  
  
Right now, that was the least of Dee's worries. Both hands were covered over his face as his leg shook uncontrollably, sitting in the chair. Thankfully no one was in the room with him at the time. The hospital was a busy one that night, with a new patient coming in every half hour or so.  
  
Checking his watch, Dee mentally counted the hours he's been there. This would be going on the third and still no sign of anyone. He had seen various couples come and go out of the waiting room, a teenager that stopped and talked to him, while his friend went in to get checked on from being wounded in a gang fight. He was there for a good hour or so, then left with his friend, and Dee would be all alone once more. The waiting was killing him. He hated it. He wanted his beloved Ryo right back into his arms where he belonged. But then again, it was still all too confusing for him. Did Ryo do this because he loved and wanted to protect him? Or did he do it because it was a natural instinct? Dee didn't want to go and make any assumptions, so he had to wait and hope for the best.  
  
As if things couldn't get any worse, Dee's ears flinched when they heard the cursed voice of Bikky just around the corner. He had an itch to run and hide, and hope the puke left, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. He groaned when he came around into the waiting room with Carol.  
  
Dee looked away, so he wouldn't see Bikky and Carol walking in his direction, but silence fell for a large moment or two. Bikky stepped up and looked downwards at Dee, twisting his face in disgust. Now that Bikky was older, he just didn't annoy Dee anymore; he became his worst enemy instead. They fought any moment they could, and this time wasn't the right time.  
  
"Ryo took the bullet for you, didn't he?" he asked, teeth tightly clenched, still hating Dee's guts after all this time.  
  
"Get out of here," Dee murmured, going back to his previous position with his face in his hands. "Take Cal and just leave."  
  
Bikky had to contain himself from doing anything rash. Unlike most of the kids his age, his conscience was able to flash the consequences in front of his eyes before he struck. In a microsecond, he was able to come to his senses and realize that this was a hospital and he could get into large amounts of trouble for starting something with Dee. It wouldn't be the first time. Now that Bikky had grown extensively over the past few years, he also looked it as well. Spending most of his time working out, he was pretty well built for his age, and put it to good use with beating Dee into a pulp every time Ryo cried over something he did.  
  
His last couple attacks were rather interesting. Although he never managed to give Dee anything more than a few black eyes, that attack was everything to him. He hated Dee's peppiness, and thinking he was the big boss man.  
  
The events that night with Rose made him even angrier.  
  
"What have I told you before, Dee? Go on, pull it from that cluttered long term memory in your pint-sized head!"  
  
Dee sighed. The stressors around him could do without Bikky in the way. Ever since he'd gotten older, the bigger of an annoyance he was.  
  
"I don't have any time for your mind games!" he said loudly, yanking his head up and staring back into the boy's narrowed eyes. "I didn't ask for him to do it and I'm not about to sit here and listen to your stupid accusations! You want someone to bitch at, go to Rose!"  
  
Bikky fumed deeply in the face. Carol saw this and put her arm in front of him to protect Dee, and anything else that would get destroyed if the two went head on in a little meaningless battle. If something happened to Ryo, Bikky surely wouldn't hesitate to blank out and destroy Dee in a matter of seconds.  
  
"If Ryo makes it out of this, I don't want you seeing him again. You hear me, Dee?" he asked, teeth still tightly clenched, and thankful that Carol was holding him back. Bikky tried keeping his head on his shoulders, but being strictly truthful at the same time.  
  
"Who the hell are you to suggest that?!" Dee asked, raising his voice louder than before. "If you'd open your eyes and look at something, other than the fact that I'm always the bad one, you'd see that Ryo did this because he cared about me! You just don't want to admit the fact that he cares about me!"  
  
"He did it because he wanted to be away from you!" Bikky spat harshly, feeling his emotions kick in. He hated to think that his Ryo would throw his life away for a deadbeat like Dee. He didn't want to think Ryo would have feelings for him.  
  
A smirk slowly crept up on Dee's face. He didn't know why Ryo did what he did, whether it was instinct or intentional, he loved bringing Bikky to the emotional stage. He knew Bikky had that side to him, something most males didn't have, but after being with Ryo for a long period of time, it grew on him.  
  
"Can't deal with the simple facts, can you?" Dee tormented, face twisting in a harsh glee. "Ryo, not being able to stand me? That's such a lie. He wants me. He wants me so bad, that he even wanted to sleep with Rose and think it was me giving him the mind blowing pleasures. He couldn't wait for me to get back, so he used his beautiful body to make up for lost time."  
  
"Bikky!" Carol gasped, covering his tightly clenched and trembling fist, knowing exactly where it was going to be going.  
  
"You just keep talking! Go ahead! See how far it gets you!" Bikky yelled, getting the attention of a couple nearby nurses. Coming up to the doorway, they told him to keep quiet.  
  
In not paying any attention to anything, except for the rage on his mind, he grasped the collar to Dee's shirt and pulled him to a standing position. Normally it wouldn't be this easy, but Dee wanted to play along with any stupid idea Bikky had up his sleeve this time.  
  
After a few more loud words being exchanged, and the smirk on Dee's face not changing and adding a mega plus to Bikky's outraged anger, a white- knuckled fist made its destination the beautiful face of Dee, surely to leave a mark.  
  
Dee was thrown back into the seat by the punch to his left eye, and Bikky was asked to leave the hospital until another day. Nothing further was said about the situation and Dee was able to resume his worrying for Ryo. He hated the façade he had to put on to make Bikky reached his anger limits, but it was the only thing he could do to get him out of his sight.  
  
"For whatever reason you did it Ryo, I hope it won't take you away from me..." 


	9. Come Back to Me

Many agonizing and painful hours later, Dee still hadn't been able to catch on what Ryo's condition was. He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't bad, because if it were, they would have told him for sure.  
  
Letting out a small and simple sigh, concluding with a slouch of the shoulders, he resumed into his thinking position again. A couple of things have crossed his mind, things like...was Ryo even trying to fight this? Was he even trying to stay alive? If so, what was his strength and reason for doing it? Dee hadn't been much help lately, and Rose was a total entirely different story. The man totally pulled a 360 all of a sudden, making everyone's life miserable. He was a crazy bastard, but never did it get to the point where he was holding a gun to anyone, unless it was necessary. If Ryo was fighting for his life, and actually giving a damn, something on the planet must be making him want to reach that level. Dee folded his hands and rested his chin over his knuckles with a sigh, thinking if only it were him keeping the one he loved the most, still breathing.  
  
"Not everyone jumps out in front of a bullet for nothing!" Dee growled impatiently, covering his face. "Goddamn it this is pissing me off!"  
  
With that, he stood straight up and walked out of the waiting room, only one thing on his mind.  
  
"I want to see Ryo and I want to see him now," he told the receptionist at the front desk, slamming the surface of the desk with his hands, leaving the middle aged woman's mouth at a hang.  
  
"I don't give a damn what condition he's in, I want to see him."  
  
Dee didn't take any reasoning with. Once he made up his mind, he was going to follow through with it. He was hotheaded enough to bust down the doors that held him back from reaching the one he loved. If it came to that point, he wouldn't hold back.  
  
Dee only stayed in one spot for not even two seconds before he rushed down the hall, ignoring the calls of seize that were shouted at him from behind, followed by a few threats. Dee put all this out of his mind and continued his brisk walk to the end of the hall, making sure to get a good look at the patients in the room, so he wouldn't run by Ryo and not know it.  
  
He had no idea how many people were trying to stop him, for the very last room on the right held his every reason for existing. He was only idle for a moment, brain processing everything his eyes took in on his loved one, and then entered. Ryo looked still, giving Dee a sudden jolt.  
  
"Ryo..."  
  
In trying to form his name with his flimsy lips, it came out no more than a mumble and proven useless. Ryo still lay perfectly still on his back, head propped up on numerous pillows, unable to hear the soft whisper.  
  
Dee took hold of one of Ryo's hands and sat beside him, trying his hardest not to shed a tear.  
  
From what he could tell, Ryo had just gotten out of surgery, for his shirt was removed and his chest was bandaged. This was a good sign. He kicked himself mentally for not coming in earlier to see him. It would have put hours of worrying behind him.  
  
He was put at ease, just by the content look on Ryo's face. He was resting comfortably, bringing relief to Dee. Dee brought Ryo's hand to his cheek and held it there, not even bothering to fight back the tears that gathered in his eyes. For whatever reason Ryo had done what he did, Dee was just thankful that he survived the good deed.  
  
"You were so full of life," Dee murmured softly, rocking Ryo's hand slowly against his face. "I know I haven't been much help and that bastard Rose just made it all worse. I hope he goes to hell for what he did. I hate the shit he pulled on you. He played with your head and it tore me up to watch that happen. You're a wonderful person and it's assholes like him that make something like this happen. I know I don't deserve it, but come back to me Ryo. It's not much to come back to, and if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in this spot right now. I'm sorry I hassled you from day one. I was just thinking of my selfish desires and not what you thought about it. I still don't even know how you feel. You go off and on, confusing me. One minute, you're making out with Rose, the next, you take a bullet for me. I don't get it! I need some answers!" Dee cried out, ending in a sob.  
  
He took a couple of seconds to look up at Ryo's face. He looked beautiful enough to kiss, even in times like this.  
  
"Oh please...come back to me Ryo...please. I want to make it right again..."  
  
Sorry so short and sloppy! I'm spending a couple weeks in Pennsylvania and haven't had the time to do much of anything! Review please! 


	10. Lies and Deception

"What the hell are you looking at?" Rose asked in a voice more along the lines of a hiss to the room of employees as he walked into work the next morning.  
  
Drake had casually walked back to his seat from the copy machine, not being able to take his eyes off his boss. "Err...you..."  
  
"Look like hell," finished Ted with a slight nod.  
  
Rose ignored the comment and continued to walk onwards to his office. If it was true, him looking like hell, there was only one person who caused it. Dee Laytner. Rose sat down at his desk, the details of last night running through his head. It was as clear as day. That asshole was pretending to be drunk, just so he can get passed the front door.  
  
He didn't care. It was all worth it. He got what he wanted, and that was Dee unemployed. Finally he had a reason to lose the dead weight. Now if only he was a quicker shot and Ryo hadn't been so hasty, he would have gotten the second thing he's wanted most in the entire world.  
  
"Looks like I'll just have to try it again," he murmured, mentally plotting ways to get rid of Dee, while filling out his termination papers at the same time with much delight, thinking of some sort of plan to cook up to get rid of Dee. "He messed with the wrong man."  
  
""""""""""""""""""""""""  
  
"You have to leave now, sir," the afternoon nurse had said to Dee after he had been in there mostly all night and morning, trying to wake up his beloved from an endless slumber.  
  
Dee, who was overtired, got quickly annoyed when he was told this. He was annoyed at just about anything right now, but mostly angry with Rose and would take it out on anyone that provoked him.  
  
"I am not leaving until he wakes up. I'm a cop and I know my colleagues would back me up. I refuse to leave this room without Ryo."  
  
"But sir..."  
  
"But nothing!" Dee objected, standing up in fury. "I want you to—!"  
  
"Mr. Laytner," said a voice from the door. Dee was instantly silent when two men showed up wearing police apparel, summoning him. He had seen them before and exchanged a few words of common interest, but didn't know them in any other way. "We have orders from commissioner Rose to place you under arrest for the attempted murder of Randy Maclean."  
  
Dee's eyes expanded. Before he could have a time to respond, the two had him by the arms roughly, ignoring the fact that an injured man was in the bed right beside them.  
  
Dee fought them off easily and stepped backwards, question marks and veins popping freely and noticeably from his forehead.  
  
"What is the MEANING of this?! Come storming in here while my partner is out of commission and pulling in some lie that I'm the one who did it! That bastard Rose is the jealous one here; he's the one who did it! He's the one you should be going after, not me! I was there! That bullet was meant for me!"  
  
The two weren't buying his story.  
  
"Why would commissioner Rose want to kill one of his employees?" the taller one asked, folding his arms, relishing this psycho fellow officer.  
  
Dee shook his head. "I'm not an employee of that branch any longer. He fired me because I decked him one after hitting on my partner. I don't give a shit, that's all done and over with. What pisses me off now is that he had the BALLS to go and do this. How did he approach you? It's kinda funny how he picks the only two officers that I've never known in the whole time I've worked there, isn't it? Why didn't he just choose Ted or Drake or someone else that's closer to me? Huh? Answer me that! He's guilty and he's trying to cover it up!"  
  
"Mr. Laytner," the shorter one cut in, unable to stand his blabbering any further. "He did give the others the option to come. They didn't have the stomach for it. They were speaking about how disgusting you were and how you could have done this to your partner. Not to mention some were strictly curious."  
  
Dee's mouth dropped. His fellow officers actually believed this?! They believed he would do something like this?!  
  
He wagged his head quickly. "No...that's...that's bullshit!! How could they believe I would do something like that?!"  
  
The taller cop exposed the handcuffs. "Then if you're ready, let's go down to the station and talk to him about it."  
  
Dee was no fool. He knew exactly where they were taking him and it wasn't the station for the life of him. They would throw him into a place where no one would even know he's there or even acknowledge his very presence.  
  
He neglected to move an inch.  
  
"Are you going to come with us now or do we need to call for someone who will make you move?"  
  
The honey-eyed man didn't budge. He only wished he had the whole room to himself so he could do some strict damage. He never could handle his anger well and those who knew him knew that. Violence to objects calmed him down, or drinking his problems away and right at the moment, he would need someone to make him unconscious to calm down. Knowing Rose could fire him, and then try and take away the one thing he could ever love, made him desperate to pay the bastard a visit.  
  
The nurse became extremely fidgety. "Oh please, don't cause more of a scene here. You'll disturb the patients."  
  
Dee was anything other than calm, cool, and collective. He wanted to see some heads roll and wouldn't be happy unless it was done. Instead, he looked over to Ryo, who was still unconscious, but probably hearing every word. Dee only wished he could spring up and tell them all the truth. It would only be a matter of time before that was to happen, so willingly exposed his wrists, knowing Ryo would be there to tell the truth and the commissioner would have his price to pay.  
  
"Glad you saw it our way."  
  
Within seconds, they shipped the young ex-cop out the door. Being pulled outside, in front of everyone at that, he knew this was only going to be temporary. Little did he know, it was all just beginning. 


	11. Plan A

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"  
  
JJ nearly fell apart at the seams when he had found out about Dee's termination.  
  
"See what happens when you decide to split for a week?" Drake quipped, taking a swig of his drink.  
  
"I wasn't on vacation!" JJ huffed with a pout. "I was on a case that Rose decided to give me, working ALONE I may add without my little Dee baby by my side and I COME BACK TO HEAR ABOUT THIS!!"  
  
Drake and Ted exchanged looks of confusion as JJ bounced off the walls, weeping like a baby.  
  
"Just wait until he finds out what happened to Dee after that," Ted murmured.  
  
Drake shook his head with a slight sigh. "Poor man."  
  
JJ suddenly seized as both of them started laughing hysterically. No doubt the two were being sarcastic.  
  
"What's so funny?" JJ asked, face contorting into a frown.  
  
When the two didn't answer him and continued to laugh, smoke came from JJ's ears, and then he gave a groundbreaking scream, shutting them up instantly.  
  
"What happened to him after that?"  
  
Drake was still shaking from the scream, and Ted was pretending not to hear and played with his fingers, humming some random song.  
  
"WELL?!"  
  
Drake pointed downwards while Ted just nodded his head. JJ realized what they were talking about after only a few seconds of thought.  
  
"Dee's in the slammer, dude," Ted said. "Rumor has it that he tried to shoot Rosie and got Ryo instead. I wouldn't be surprised if he had life."  
  
JJ gave another shrieking yell that caused the both of them to cover their ears.  
  
"Dee wouldn't stoop that low! I mean, come on, we all hate Rose, but I don't think any of us would be stupid enough to shoot him.  
  
Drake and Ted cowered and ducked down at their desks as Rose came up behind JJ, towering over the shorter man.  
  
"You...uh...wanna say that again?"  
  
JJ flinched. "Mamma..."  
  
"Mamma's not going to help you. Get your head back on your shoulders and get with the program, unless you want to be like your friend. Drake, Ted, listen up. I have a new mission for the both of you. JJ you're in this too."  
  
JJ gulped while the other two looked at the angry face of the commissioner.  
  
"If I know that rat Dee as well as I think I do, he'll try to get out and you both are going to be there to talk to him until I get there. Now, if he escapes from you guys, the next thing he'll do is escape to the hospital to see Ryo, and that's where you're going to stay, JJ. I know you can't keep your ass off Dee, so we're going to leave you guarding Ryo's door, and if you see him, I'm verbally giving you PERMISSION to tackle him and try to steal a kiss out of him, and that will alert the staff to give me a buzz and I'll be down there to throw his ass back in where it belongs."  
  
"But sir...are you sure Dee would try to shoot y—"  
  
"Of course I'm sure! But the sick bastard got Ryo instead and for that I'd never let him get away! I want him back here so he could spend the rest of his life in a musty hell."  
  
JJ, who was itching to scream, bounced back and forth nervously from foot to foot, waiting to be given permission to speak. When Rose noticed he was about to explode, he sighed with anger and allowed him to shine him with his not so words of wisdom.  
  
"What?"  
  
JJ was relieved to speak and tried to explain himself as calmly as possible, but ended up saying it louder than expected. "Commish, Dee would NEVER try to shoot—"  
  
"Indispensable information as always," Rose said sarcastically, turning around to the door, throwing three folders in the table by the door before leaving. "Get on it right away."  
  
"Dee wouldn't shoot anyone!" JJ finished, looking back at the two, then folded his arms with a huff. "I'm not doing it! I refuse to let Rose use me to capture his bait."  
  
"Dee's not the bait, it's YOU who is, moron," Drake murmured, collecting the envelopes that were left by Rose, hitting JJ upside the head with his, before handing it over. JJ had to think about his previous sentence, and then nodded slowly.  
  
"Right...so I'm the bait...to catch the fish...right?"  
  
"Whatever," Drake said, sitting back down at the desk and opening it. The two nearly cracked up laughing as they pulled the report out.  
  
"As if we don't know what Dee looks like. Who does commish think we are? JJ?" Drake said, looking at the document that would look like any criminal report, which included Dee's picture and his stats.  
  
"Why did he even bother giving these to us? We already know who Dee is," Ted said, then read up on the incident. It was all in the way Rose had said it was. "Listen to this: Dee Laytner tried to shoot Commissioner Berkeley Rose, but shot Randy Maclean instead, then brought Randy to the hospital, where he stayed and wouldn't leave, acting innocent as if done nothing. Dee sat the entire night in the waiting room, causing a few disturbances, and when he couldn't take it anymore, he demanded he'd see Randy, and took it upon himself to enter, against their will. He had stayed there, until another scene took place, and two police officers had showed up to claim him, but he refused to go at first, making it hard on everyone. When the officers threatened to call for backup, they had successfully gotten Dee out of the hospital, and away from the building before he could make anymore scenes, brought to where he belonged."  
  
"No doubt commissioner Rose wrote this one," Drake said, looking the whole thing over, parts Ted didn't read. "There's so much hate in just that one little summary paragraph, it's murder."  
  
"I wouldn't trust Rose on this one. It seems like he's after Dee."  
  
"DEEEEE!!" JJ cried out, staring at Dee's picture and kissing it at rapid speed.  
  
Drake and Ted exchanged looks.  
  
"Well at least we know one idiot isn't going to succeed."  
  
Ted chuckled.  
  
"Alright, guys, time to go kick up plan A. JJ get out of here, Ted come with me, and we'll go downstairs to see if Rose's calculations were correct."  
  
"This is a little asinine if you ask me," JJ said, hugging Dee's file close to him as if it were a symbol of wealth. "DEE WOULDN'T TRY TO SHOOT—"  
  
"Let's go," Ted said, throwing JJ his coat, kicking the man out of the office so he could go start his part of the mission. "It's not our job to determine if he did it or not. Rose was there and as much as I hate the guy, I don't he'd lie about this."  
  
"BUT HE HATES DEE—"  
  
Drake and Ted left the office, leaving JJ there to scream in his own little world about how unfair it was, but not wanting to be unemployed for the rest of his life, he hugs the file close and darts out of the office with the hopes of Dee breaking out so he could steal one real life kiss instead of a black and white picture that was a couple years old.  
  
"Plan A, plan A," JJ whispered to himself. "Gotta get to the hospital."  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Sorry for yet another long update! I'm starting to lose ideas for this fic and hadn't expected it would drag on this far, but as long as I'm still getting reviews for it and you guys are enjoying it, I'll keep going for as long as everyone wants me to. I'm looking for some ideas. If anyone wants to see this story go a certain way or have a certain someone enter the picture, let me know and I'll gladly take it into consideration. As far as everyone else who's reviewed is concerned, thanks a whole lot! It means a bunch to me! 


	12. Ryo's Awakening

JJ was given a cell phone so Drake and Ted could reach him if Rose's hunch was correct. It was their first time in the musty temporary jail cell. Ted pushed away cobwebs as he made his way down the stairs at Drake's side.   
  
"Do you really think he's guilty, man? I mean, we all know Dee. Perhaps not as humbly as JJ but we do know he wouldn't shoot anyone on purpose. Maybe it was an accident?"   
  
Drake hushed him, for he was speaking a little too loudly in the hollow, echoing room. Ted took a glimpse at the cells from the bottom of the stair.   
  
"Well, whatever you want to call it, it made Dee escape," he pointed out, motioning towards the open cell door, lock picked. "Whoever frisked him must have done one hell of a horrible job."   
  
Drake seconded that.   
  
"Looks like the lock was picked in a blink of an eye."   
  
"Well you know how old these cells are. So where do you think our man is heading?"   
  
Drake frowned at Ted, astonished. "Dude, 'our man?' It's only Dee."   
  
Ted shrugged. "Well, what do you think he is? Would you rather me call him 'our woman?'"   
  
Drake rolled his eyes. "Just don't let him catch you saying it."   
  
He pulled out his cellular and dialed JJ. It took two attempts and five rings to finally reach him.   
  
"Sorry, I was...in the bathroom," JJ said immediately after picking up.   
  
Typical.   
  
"He's not here," Drake said, walking back up the stairs to the outside and ignoring JJ's last hesitation. "You were right."   
  
He could see JJ smiling right through the phone.   
  
"I told you!!" he shouted.   
  
"Save the celebration. Where are you?"   
  
JJ vacillated before speaking, starting off the sentence with both 'um' and 'ah'.   
  
"Never mind," Drake interrupted him. "I know just what your doing. Looking for Dee elsewhere, right?"   
  
JJ slapped his hand to his face. The two knew him all too well.   
  
"Well..."   
  
"Well nothing. Get out of Dee's house and head to the hospital like you were suppose to."   
  
Drake knew right off hand where JJ was without even being told. He was crazy over Dee and wouldn't hesitate to drop this silly case and do one of his own. JJ could be very smart if he actually had a little common sense.   
  
"We're onto Plan B, seeing as though plan A didn't work after all. Rose wants us to head over to Ryo's and look for any clues there. He said he was going to meet up with us there because he knows the place better."   
  
"Umm..."   
  
"Just do your job JJ. Call us if you see Dee."   
  
Drake hung up, unable to comprehend the fact that this was their friend they were chasing after and trying to apprehend. Of course, it wouldn't take a million dollars to convince the two that Dee was innocent, and it wouldn't even take JJ all the money in the world to say it. Dee was arrogant and obnoxious, but not a murderer. However, the two didn't want to lose their job, so they just kept telling themselves they were out for the certainty, not justice.   
  
JJ arrived at the hospital. The staff was expecting him and allowed him in to see Ryo for a couple of minutes. JJ hoped in the back of his mind that when Ryo awoke, he wouldn't be subjected to blackouts and would remember every full detail as it happened that night. There was just no possible way that Dee would hit Ryo instead of Rose, even on accident. First of all, Dee wasn't careless with a gun; second of all, Ryo wasn't crazy enough to get within ten feet of Rose without suffering some sort of consequence.   
  
JJ sighed as he looked over the man that lay perfectly still in the bed before him. He never did really like Ryo because of Dee, but still, he respected him and wished this went down some other way, not seeing Ryo nearly dead in a hospital bed.   
  
"Don't worry Ryo, if you die, I'll make sure I take good care of Dee for you," JJ promised, patting his colleagues shoulder.   
  
"What are we looking for anyway? Is that kid supposed to be staring at us like that?"   
  
Ted looked over his shoulder to notice Bikky glaring back at the both of them, getting instant chills and beads of sweat. "Yikes. That kid has a better death grip than commissioner Rose."   
  
Drake smiled casually and walked over to Bikky. "You may be a little too young to notice this, but we're at a crime scene, so you shouldn't be here. Is there a friends house you can go to for the next couple of days?"   
  
"I live here," Bikky backfired, folding his arms. "I can be here all I want. And I'm not a kid. You must be mistaking me for your partner over there."   
  
Ted blushed, not used to taking sarcasm from kids.   
  
"Drake!"   
  
Ted begged mentally for help on this one.   
  
"Okay," Drake sighed. "Do you know what happened to...to..."   
  
"Ryo," Bikky answered when he saw Drake dumbly snapping his fingers.   
  
"Yeah! Ryo, that's right."   
  
"I wasn't here, all I know is that bastard Dee came in drunk one night after he hit him and begged for his forgiveness, but I tell you, if I see Dee again, his blood will be on my hands and I will be laughing about it."  
Ted and Drake exchanged glances.   
  
"Dee did it you say?"   
  
Bikky nodded swiftly. "Of course he did it. He's been after Ryo's nuts for years, but is always pissed off when Ryo doesn't give him his blow."  
  
Drake blushed and looked away momentarily, not expecting to hear that sort of thing from a minor. He cleared his throat. "Yeah...err...so you didn't see anyone else in the apartment that night?"   
  
"I don't need to see anyone else. I know it's Dee. He got pissed off and decided to show his true nature. If he can't have him, he doesn't want anyone having him. It's pure jealousy."   
  
Instead of doing what he was supposed to be doing, Drake stood there in awe as he listened to the supposed truth spill straight out of the boy's mouth. It was exactly like Rose had said, nearly word for word.   
  
"Am I going to have to do your job or can you take it from here?"   
  
Drake jumped back into reality and scribbled down Bikky's words on paper. He wasn't a witness, but Rose would pay to hear these things coming from his mouth. As much as Ted and Drake believed his innocence, they took notes for the sake of their jobs.   
  
When Bikky was completed with his fifteen minute speech on how much he hated Dee and would writhe in pleasure to see the man rot away for the rest of his life, he left, back over to Carol's where he had been all along, just coming back for a fresh set of clothes.   
  
"Dude, there's nothing here we need to be investigating. Wanna know why? Because there's nothing wrong with this room!" Drake said loudly, looking around carefully, searching for anything that just might be out of place.   
  
"Done bitching yet?"   
  
The door shut and the two were graced with Rose's presence.   
  
"Sir," Ted greeted.   
  
"What are we looking for?" Drake asked, getting annoyed.   
  
"Nothing," Rose said, picking up something he had left there a few days ago and pocketed it.   
  
"Nothing?" Ted repeated.   
  
"I just wanted a statement from that kid who hates Dee. Needless to say I've grown quite fond of him," Rose said with a smirk. "Did you get anything?"   
  
This was going too far. Right after he had said this, the two knew it very well that he was messing around. He was just doing this to get back at Dee for loving Ryo, even after every obstacle in the world was thrown at him. They pitied Rose, but still had to go along with it.   
  
After reading over what Bikky had said, Rose smiled to himself. "With this kid's help, I'll have Dee right where he belongs."   
  
JJ almost nodded off every other second waiting for Dee to show up. He kept telling himself that he would see Dee's lovely face in a matter of seconds, so forced himself to stay alert. When it wasn't Dee he saw, but Rose with Ted and Drake, he stood up so quickly that he forgot the file was on his lap and papers scattered everywhere onto the floor.   
  
"Relax, it's not you I'm coming to kill," Rose said icily, and then looked at his motionless loved one, shirtless and a bandaged up chest. "Did you see Dee?"   
  
JJ collected his papers in frenzy, and then took his place inside the room, out of breath. "N-No."   
  
Rose couldn't take his eyes off of Ryo. He was just too beautiful to do it. Rose approached him, smiling warmly, and lightly brushed his fingers through Ryo's sandy colored hair.   
  
"Soon we will have Dee right where we want him, and you will be free to love me without him getting in the way."   
  
Ted and Drake tried their hardest not to burst out laughing, and in a rather sick and twisted way, JJ tried not to as well, but not for the same reason. With Dee away from Ryo, it was the perfect chance to finally get what he wanted. He had nearly hit himself for not thinking of it before and hoped Ryo would have those blackouts after all.   
  
Rose was in the process of admiring Ryo when his heart jumped up in his throat as Ryo's eyelids tightened before opening with a flutter. A small moan came from his throat as his eyes adjusted to the blaring artificial light above him.   
  
"Where am I?" he asked in a slight groan before feeling a hand over his.   
  
"You're in the hospital, Ryo. You were shot by Dee," Rose said, wasting no time. Ted, Drake, and JJ stood stiff as boards as their commissioner lied right in front of their eyes.   
  
Ryo weakly brought his free hand up to rub his eyes, forcing them to adjust to the brightly lit room, and that's when he saw Rose and his colleagues.   
  
"Dee...what?" he inquired in a low voice, trying to remember.   
  
His soft brown eyes looked to Rose in confusion, as if unable to comprehend what was going on.   
  
Rose put on a serious look and took Ryo's hand in his, kneeling down at his side. Ryo looked over at him curiously, as if clueless to what was going on. This was perfect, just what Rose wanted. Ryo didn't remember a single thing and was able to finally get his revenge against Dee. He didn't care if this was childish or not. He was going to get his way finally.   
  
"Dee shot you. He meant to shoot me, but you took a bullet for me, because you like me."   
  
Ryo gave a weak frown. "I...like...you?"   
  
Ryo was clearly not all with it and Rose had read somewhere that if something like this happens to a patient right when they wake up, they'll remember it, even if they pass out again. It will be the first thing on their minds when they wake up.   
  
"You do, Ryo, you do, and Dee won't get in the way of us anymore, I promise."   
  
It was right then and there that Dee was spotted right in the middle of the doorway. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sorry for the long update! I will be ending this fic soon. There will probably be just one more chapter. I didn't expect it to keep going like this and have all those reviews. Thank you everyone so much for making that happen!


	13. May The Force Be Against You

**Okay, after four and a half years, I've finally updated! I had to read the whole story twice because I didn't remember who anyone was! This chapter is for all my older anime readers that never lost hope in an update, and for the new readers who are just starting to ready my stories. Better late than never :) Enjoy! **

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Ted and Drake exchanged nervous glances while JJ hopped up and down, biting his lip so he wouldn't scream out at the sight of Dee. They all knew he was there and somehow managed to keep quiet until Rose was finished brainwashing Ryo.

"Tell him the truth, you son of a bitch," Dee growled.

Rose spun around. His eyes widened at what he saw. "You…you're supposed to be in lockup!"

Dee leaned up against the doorframe cockily, folding his arms. "Or so you thought. Tell him the truth."

Ted and Drake gulped nervously and slid away while JJ was too busy yanking on Dee's arm. Dee pushed him away with one arm, not caring that he met the wall across the isle face first. Dee's glare never left Berkeley.

"Forensics is going to match up the bullet with your gun, Rose." Dee stepped into the room. Rose's anger never left his face. "And when they do, you'll be in prison so fast, the door won't even have a chance to hit you in the ass."

Dee's voice was low and rough.

"You can't scare me, Laytner!"

"Is this true?" Ryo asked, looking as if he were on the verge of crying.

"Of course it's not true!" JJ said, bouncing back into the room. "Dee would never shoot anyone!"

For the first time in his life, Dee didn't feel the urge to push JJ off a cliff.

Rose carefully brushed a stray piece of hair from Ryo's face. Ryo met his eyes, which was strange. He looked like a little lost puppy. "The bullet was intended for me, but you saved me, Randy." Berkeley sounded convincing, which pissed Dee off.

Dee's blood boiled and his skin grew hot. His fist balled, desperately wanting to collide it with Berkeley's face.

"Why would he want to shoot you?" Ryo's voice was tired. His brain hurt trying to remember what happened, as well as trying to process what everyone was saying. So far, nothing rang a bell. He certainly didn't remember Dee having a gun, but recent flashes of Berkeley's smiling face came into his mind, as well as a small recollection of him loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

"He's jealous of what we have…" came Berkeley's soft, loving voice, making Dee sick to his stomach.

"You have nothing with him, you stupid fuck," Dee growled, jaw tightly clenched.

"Sure he does!" JJ said, still wanting Dee all to himself, but didn't think of the profound effect his words would have on this case. "You've been lovers since the dawn of time!"

Dee snapped. Instead of delivering a punch to Berkeley, which is where it should be going, he swung his arm around and smacked JJ square in the face, busting his nose on contact. Any ordinary person would be furious and probably throw a punch back, but not JJ. Instead, after the initial shock wore off that he was punched and his nose hurt like hell, his eyes watered. Stars danced within them.

"Oh, Dee…you really do love me," he said, throwing his hand over his mouth. "This is a blessing in disguise."

"It's one hell of a disguise," Dee muttered angrily, turning back to Berkeley and Ryo.

Dee froze when he met Ryo's eyes staring back at him. He looked so sad that it almost brought Dee to tears just looking at him.

"DEEEE!" JJ yelled out of the blue, throwing himself at him and kissing the back of his neck, one after the other. "It'sloveit'sloveit'slove!"

"JJ!" Dee yelled, pushing him away and then pointing to the door. He wasn't messing around. "Either convince Ryo that what you know about me is the truth, or get your fucking ass out of here," he hissed. "Touch me again, you die."

"Nice mouth," Rose said, holding Ryo's hand tighter.

"Oh blow me, you know that's how I always am. Stop putting on a show for him." Dee glanced over to Ryo. "I really hope your memory comes back." He then glared up at Rose, but continued talking to Ryo. "You might be what helps put this bastard behind bars."

The fact that Ryo knew Dee had helped him sort out the memories. He had no recollection of what happened before he was shot, but did know that Dee liked him. In fact, he admitted to loving him. That was one of his latest memories. But who know what could've happened after that? Maybe they had a fight and Ryo really did find the comfort in his boss' arms. Rose would do anything to get in his pants, but what if he really wasn't the manipulative bastard he made himself out to be? Dee could be using this to his advantage and acting like nothing bad happened between him. Maybe he was the one who was jealous and wanted to shoot Rose for taking Ryo on him.

All this pondering made Ryo's head hurt. No one noticed. Dee and Rose were too busy fuming at one another.

"Why don't you go home, Dee? Better yet, go get drunk. You function better that way."

Dee didn't want to leave the room for the fear that Rose would continue to brainwash Ryo, making it so he would be unable to retrieve his memories. If they were retrieved, they would be altered to a way that Rose seemed fit.

"Actually, better yet…" He reached into his inside breast pocket, "I think I'll inform the police that you've escaped custody and get you out of here that way."

When he pulled out his cell phone, Dee ripped it from his hand and threw it against the wall. The black device shattered into a million pieces.

"The only one who deserves to go behind bars is you, you bastard," Dee hissed.

Rose narrowed his eyes at Dee. His cell phone was the least of his worries. It appeared that the only way to get Dee out of there was to take him out himself. Since he had every authority to spin Dee around and cuff his hands behind his back, he didn't.

"DRAKE AND TED!" his voice roared, knowing his employees were out lingering in the hallway within earshot.

The two scurried down the hall and slid into the room, one after another. They tried to come in shoulder to shoulder, but the door was too narrow. JJ also came in, even though he wasn't called. Rose didn't need him if he wasn't on his side, but ignored him for now.

"Yes—" Drake started.

"—Boss," Ted finished.

"Go find that boy from Randy's apartment. I want him to come in here and tell Randy what he told you. And make it snappy."

The two scurried out so fast that they slid trying to get traction and almost slammed into one another. Rose glared at JJ, who was nervously twitching. He spoke to him once a doctor yelled at Drake and Ted to stop running in the hallway.

"S-Sir?" JJ prompted fretfully.

"Get your handcuffs out and take Dee out of here. I'll let you do the honors."

JJ clasped his hands together as hearts waved from the top of his head in slow motion like some lovesick cartoon comic character. "Oh wow…"

"I'm not going anywhere with him! I'm not leaving you here alone with Ryo, you—"

He stopped suddenly when JJ grabbed him by the wrist. "If you cooperate, I'll go easy on you," JJ purred, mouth inches away from Dee's ear.

"Fuck off!" he yelled, ripping his arm back.

"Stop!" Ryo shouted from the bed, apparently forgotten.

Everyone looked over at him.

"All of you, just leave," he said, throwing his hand to his forehead with a gentle moan. "I need sleep."

Reluctantly, they granted his request. JJ left first, followed by Rose, who made sure to promise Ryo that he wouldn't be too far. Dee followed behind him, glaring at the back of his head all the way to the waiting room.

Once they were there, Dee sat at the opposite end of the room, fists clenched at his lap. Rose always looked so damn smug, even now. He was so sure he was going to win Ryo over and that pissed Dee off with a flaming passion. Rose crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair with a satisfied sigh. That's when he met Dee's eyes for the first time since being out there.

"Got a problem?" he asked smugly, putting his hands behind his head to lean up against the wall.

"You won't win," was all that Dee said.

Rose chuckled. "I'm already half way there. Once they bring in that kid that hates your guts, Randy will know the truth. I'll also have him testify against you when this goes to court."

"Obviously you're not too threatened, or else you would have me locked up, asshole," he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Having me here will only rouse up Ryo's mind and have him remember what happened faster."

"Actually…" Rose started, mimicking his position. "Him seeing you will help my story unfold. He'll believe it if he sees your face. It's all part of my master plan to get you out of his life so I can move in. And before you say it, we all use the same weapon in the precinct, Dee. They can easily match up my bullet to your gun."

"Every firearm is different. They match up the markings on the bullet with the inside of the gun. Once they analyze it, your ass is as good as gone."

"Since when did you become an expert in forensics?" he asked coldly.

"Since you thought I wasn't and could play this over on me like I was a moron. Go ahead and get Bikky's statement and hear how bad he hates my guts. He wasn't there when you shot Ryo so his avowal is shit. He can say what a jerk I am and how much he hates my guts, but whether or not I can shoot someone in the throws of passion, he won't be able to justify. Why don't you question his friend while you're at it. Her name is Carol. I'm sure she'll add to your devious plan."

Rose hummed in thought. "I think I will. If my useless lackeys ever come back with him. Although, if he knows you're here, he might come running in an instant to testify against you."

Dee felt the urge to punch the smirk off his face.

Suddenly, a handful of officers came through the sliding doors and into the lobby, looking around. Dee didn't recognize them, but had a feeling that they were here for him and felt the urge to hide. He ducked his head out of instinct.

"You got visitors," Rose said, standing. "Have fun in the slammer."

It was only a matter of time before they found Dee after he escaped custody.

The five uniforms stepped into the waiting room and Dee became so nervous that he couldn't even blink, but was puzzled when neither of them even looked at him. They were focused on Rose.

"Commissioner Berkeley Rose?" the one in charge asked, removing his sunglasses.

Rose's face grew serious. "Yes?"

"Place your hands behind your head, sir; you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Randy Maclean."

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**There will be one more chapter following. And it will be up here soon! Please review and tell me what you thought! :)**


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